2006年VOA标准英语-WHO Says Cooked Poultry, Eggs Not Bird Flu

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
08 January 2006
 

Turkish agriculture ministry¹ official carries a chicken as he collects poultry² for culling³ in the eastern Turkish town of Dogubayazit, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006  
  
The World Health Organization is reassuring⁴ people that they are not at risk of contracting the avian flu virus from eating properly cooked poultry and eggs.

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The World Health Organization says it is worried people may stop eating chicken because of the growing concern about bird flu. During the mad cow scare, sales of beef plummeted⁵. WHO spokesman Ian Simpson tells VOA there is no need to panic.

"At this stage, there is no evidence of anyone having become sick, anyone becoming infected with avian influenza⁶ as a result of eating properly cooked, properly prepared meat and egg from poultry," said Mr. Simpson. "So, there is no reason to stop eating chicken. There is no reason to stop eating eggs. But, there is every reason to insure that any chicken meat, any poultry meat or any eggs that are consumed are properly prepared and properly cooked."

The World Health Organization says thorough cooking will kill any virus, including the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu. Eggs from sick birds could also contain the virus. So, the World Health Organization advises people from affected⁷ areas not to eat raw, or undercooked eggs.

The U.N. health agency says birds from diseased flocks should not enter the food chain, and infected birds should not be used for animal feed. But, the World Health Organization says consumers run no risk of getting the virus through handling or eating poultry in areas where there is no bird flu outbreak.

Mr. Simpson says people in affected areas often are exposed to the H5N1 virus during the slaughtering⁸ and subsequent handling of diseased or dead birds. He says people can take precautionary measures.

"For example, if people are preparing them, they should ideally be wearing protection of their face, and also protection of their hands," he added. "That the area where they are protecting them should be a hygienic area. It should be able to be completely cleaned, so that, at the end of the day, or at the end of the shift, when the chickens have been prepared, that all of the waste material is gotten rid of safely and hygienically, so that the waste material does not pose any risk to people coming into the area afterwards."

The World Health Organization says raw meat should be separated from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination. It says people preparing food in areas with avian-flu outbreaks should wash hands frequently, and all surfaces and utensils⁹ that have been in contact with raw meat should be washed and disinfected.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

3 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分

4 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

5 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 slaughtering   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。